Baseball: Bats get hot in three wins against Navy

“It was absolutely a big series [against Navy],” head coach Scott Bradley said. “The great part about this weekend was, just like at William & Mary [two weeks ago], we were really balanced. A lot of guys in the lineup are doing well.”

The Tigers’ original plan was to play a four-game series against Norfolk State over the first weekend of break and then a game at Elon on Monday. But the weather did not cooperate, and all five games were washed out.

“We really didn’t get to do anything over midterms, and over the weekend we literally sat in the hotel for four days,” Bradley said. “We really couldn’t do anything.”

Because of the rain, instead of starting play on Saturday at Norfolk State, Princeton began on Tuesday against No. 6 UNC (17-4). The game did not start well for the Tigers, as sophomore starting pitcher Dan Barnes was pulled out of the game after less than one inning pitched because of arm problems. UNC continued to pile on the runs, and Princeton only narrowly avoided being no-hit after sophomore shortstop Greg Van Horn singled to centerfield to break up the bid. The Tar Heels won big, 17-0.

“We told our guys that no matter how good a baseball team you are, you’re going to be on both sides of [a blowout] like that at times in the year,” Bradley said.

But the Orange and Black had another shot at UNC on Wednesday, and the team played much more respectably in the rematch despite losing 6-1 in a tight game. This time the Tigers were able to hit the Tar Heel pitchers, but just not with runners on base. Princeton’s best chance came in the sixth inning when, after a walk and two singles, the Tigers had the bases loaded with only one out. Unfortunately for Princeton, junior designated hitter and pitcher David Hale and junior outfielder Brian Berkowitz could not get the needed hit, and UNC escaped the jam. This was a problem over the entire game for the Tigers, during which Princeton left 10 runners on base. The Tigers got on the board in the seventh inning, though, as freshman catcher Sam Mulroy scored Princeton’s only run, his second of the season, off a homer.

“Needless to say, playing UNC is a level that we’re not at yet,” Bradley said. “For our guys to play the number one team in the country without any practice or anything [is tough]. It was just for fun and to show our guys what baseball is … all about.”

Whatever anger the Tigers might have felt at being stymied by the Tar Heel pitching staff was taken out on North Carolina A&T (5-13) the next day when Princeton earned a solid 18-7 victory. In only a seven-inning game, the Princeton offense erupted for 18 runs off 18 hits against the Aggies. Junior starting pitcher Langford Stuber held North Carolina A&T to four runs over five innings. Stuber was extremely efficient, throwing only 13 pitches over the five innings.

The Tigers’ struggles with runners in scoring position continued in the opener against Navy on Friday, during which Princeton left two runners on base during each of the first two innings. In contrast to Princeton, the Midshipmen were able to score early and often, plating six runs in the first four innings. Navy never trailed and scored in all but the sixth inning, with junior starting pitcher Jon Broscious taking the loss, giving up four runs off five hits in three innings. The Tigers had 12 hits to the Midshipmen’s 15, but Navy was able to knock the runners in when it mattered to ultimately triumph 11-3.

In a complete turnaround, however, Princeton dominated the next three games of the series to come away with the 3-1 weekend win.

During the first game of the Saturday doubleheader, the Tigers were keyed by a strong pitching performance from Hale, who threw six shutout innings while striking out six. Princeton scored three runs in the first inning but was dealt a blow when Van Horn fouled a ball off into his face. Van Horn, who was hit in the hand two weeks ago at William & Mary, was forced out of the game and did not play the rest of the weekend.

“[Van Horn] is a tough kid,” said Bradley. “It was really scary. He essentially took an 85mph fastball off his nose. He broke his nose, but remarkably he was trying to convince us to let him play [Sunday]. We’re pretty optimistic that he’ll be able to play next weekend.”

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After the injury sophomore pinch-hitter Matt Connor stepped up, singling and putting runners on the corners with one out. A wild pitch brought senior infielder Dan DeGeorge home, and three more singles would score two more runs in the inning. In the seven-inning game, sophomore righthander Matt Grabowski closed out the seventh for the save, preserving the 4-0 win for Hale.

The nightcap started off similarly with a strong early performance from senior starter Brad Gemberling. That, along with four runs in the first three innings, gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead after four. But the Midshipmen were able to get to Gemberling in the fifth when they scored five runs. Princeton showed some fight in the top of the sixth, plating three runs off a two-RBI single from Connor and an RBI double from DeGeorge, who would add another run in the eight off an RBI triple. Despite giving up five runs in the fifth, Gemberling stayed in the game and was able to walk away with the 8-6 win, bringing him to 2-0 on the season.

“Hale was terrific, and Gemberling is doing well,” Bradley said. “We wanted to [pitch] the Navy series like we would a conference weekend.”

Strong pitching again helped the Tigers in their 5-2 win on Sunday, as sophomore starter David Palms pitched eight innings and only gave up one earned run. This game was a true pitchers’ duel early, with Navy starter TJ Kerins pitching seven innings of shutout ball. The Midshipmen scored an unearned run in the sixth off an error and a sacrifice fly, but Princeton would answer in the eighth off Navy reliever JD Melton. There, the Tigers loaded the bases off walks and an error, and DeGeorge added another RBI on a sacrifice fly.

After junior catcher Jack Murphy walked, Berkowitz launched a bases-clearing double to bring Murphy and senior outfielder Derek Beckman home. Senior first baseman Adrian Turnham knocked in Berkowitz off an RBI single. Grabowski would close out the ninth for another save. Hopefully, the momentum the Tigers gathered towards the end of the week will carry over into Tuesday’s game against Rutgers and future Ivy League play.